VSAIA News: May 2015

Call for Proposals
Present a session at Architecture Exchange East in November. Submit your seminar proposals by May 15, 2015. More>> 

Moving Forward
Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, shares a practical description of how we are already moving forward with significant changes to provide ever-more-enhanced service and support to our members. More>>

Small Firm Round Table at AtlAIAnta
The SFRT has developed educational content, coordinated programs, and created a comprehensive convention experience for small firm practitioners. More>> 

Region of The Virginias Reception
Please join your Region of The Virginias colleagues for a casual reception during the AIA National Convention in Atlanta. More>> 

June Membership Meeting
Please plan to join us (via webinar) for a membership meeting on Friday, June 19, 2015. More>> 

2012 IBC Update Seminars
Sign-up for seminars reviewing the major changes from the 2009 IBC to the 2012 IBC in Virginia Beach and Charlottesville and one on the 2012 International Green Construction Code in Fairfax. More>>

Call for Entries: 2015 Prize for Design Research & Scholarship
The VSAIA Prize for Design Research & Scholarship will be awarded to a faculty member or a practicing architect in Virginia for outstanding design research and/or scholarship in the field of architecture. More>>

Honors
Nominations for the 2015 Virginia Society AIA Honors can be submitted starting June 22, 2015. More>>

Abernathy Honored
Duncan Abernathy, AIA, recently retired from the Virginia Society AIA, was awarded a Presidential Citation. More>>

New Architects
Congratulations to the following members for passing their exams and gaining licensure. More>>

Guzy Joins Staff
The Virginia Society AIA and the Virginia Center for Architecture are pleased to announce that Angela Ojeda Guzy, Assoc. AIA, has joined the staff. More>>

New Members
We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined the ranks of Virginia Society AIA. More>>

VSAIA Allied Members
Supporters of the Virginia Society AIA can now be found online. More>>

Look Up and Speak Up
Robert Ivy, FAIA, EVP/CEO of the American Institute of Architects ask AIA members to look up and speak up about issues concerning architecture. More>>

Inaugural Meeting Held
13 past presidents of the Virginia Society AIA got together for the first meeting of the John W. Braymer Leadership Circle. More>>

 

VSAIA News: January 2015

Take a Fresh Look at your AIA Membership
As we kick off the new year, take a moment to make sure you are getting all you can from your membership. More>>

A Note of Appreciation
As Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, takes over the reins of the Virginia Society AIA, she pauses to show appreciation to her predecessor. More>>

ELA Class of 2015 Kicks off the Year
Sixteen of Virginia’s best and brightest young architects met last week to get started on this year’s project, learn a little bit more about each other and hear from two excellent speakers about the past and future of leadership in the profession. More>>

VSAIA Seeking Appointments for 2015
Many agencies would benefit from an architect’s insight and ability to see several steps ahead, similar to a chess grandmaster. Tom some, this would appear to be magic. To architects, it’s a daily exercise in rational thought. More>>

Reprogramming the City Exhibition Opens
Opening this week at the Virginia Center for Architecture, the Reprogramming the City Exhibition challenges us to define ways we can improve our local infrastructure to do more for urban residents and expand the capabilities of the city itself.  More>>

New Positions Announced at the Virginia Society AIA
Three Promotions and one new employee at the Virginia Society AIA. More>>

2015 ICC Code Seminar Schedule
Here is the schedule of code seminars being presented around Virginia this year. More>>

Copyright Protection for Architectural Works
An interesting analysis of copyright protection for architectural works as applied in the Fourth Circuit of Virginia. More>>

AIA Trust
Take a look at the AIA Trust 2014 Annual Report. More>>

Post-Disaster Assessment

© 2006, The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.During a post-disaster assessment, it was decided that a few tweaks needed to be made in the arrangement among architects, professional engineers, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

George Salinas, AIA, and George Roarty of VDEM met Sept. 26, 2011, to discuss how the logistics and processes did and did not work.  It was decided that a more up-to-date list of trained volunteers was required and that it must be updated every 12 months at a minimum.

To begin, VDEM will trim its list to those individuals who have taken the disaster-assessment training sessions within the past year.  While Roarty and Salinas agreed that the onus of maintaining current contact information should remain on the individual, the VSAIA will keep a duplicate list and attempt to keep its members’ contact information current.

These sessions, developed for online training at the instigation of Salinas, will continue in subsequent years.  In addition, Salinas has volunteered with the AIA to initiate training along the more extensive lines of that begun in California.

Roarty and VDEM will undertake a review with the attorney general’s office to clarify the liability issues exposed during the earthquake and hurricane that battered Virginia in late Augustwithin days of each other.  These include whether volunteers could drive state vehicles and whether they would be shielded by the Commonwealth’s workers’ compensation coverage.

Roarty indicated that he had been under the impression that volunteers recruited after a disaster would be treated as temporary employees.  If that is the case, the vehicle liability and workers’ compensation coverage would be in place.  But he determined that such a designation must be clarified.

The VSAIA will be kept abreast of these discussions on both the VDEM liability investigations and the more extensive training opportunities.  For the latest information, Salinas may be reached at salinas_central@verizon.net.

Distinguished Achievement Awarded to Evans, Good

S. Michael Evans, FAIA and Clinton K. Good, AIA, will each be honored with the Award for Distinguished Achievement on Nov. 3 at Architecture Exchange East during the Annual Meeting of the Membership and on Nov. 4 during the Visions for Architecture gala at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The Award for Distinguished Achievement signals especially noteworthy achievement by an architect in any one of the following categories: design, practice, education, service as “citizen architect,” and service to the profession. This award may serve as an accolade for the work of an entire career or recognize the current accomplishments of a younger leader.

Mike Evans, FAIA
S. Michael Evans, FAIA

Mike Evans, a principal at Hanbury Evans Wright + Vlattas, has been described as a powerful national influence on the planning and design of student residential learning communities. Through his work, Evans has helped shaped the student experience on more than 120 campuses throughout the United States and abroad. “Michael Evans is clearly a nationally recognized authority on the campus design as a reflection of the mission and values of an institution. Through his substantial and award winning body of work, Evans has influenced the current thinking on the design of student residential environments,” said president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Judith Kinnard, FAIA. Evans has also diligently worked to develop a number of programs that strengthen the ties between schools of architecture and professional practice, including the HEWV Summer Scholars and Virginia Design Medal programs. “Mike embraces ‘boundarylessness.’ His pursuit of excellence has caused him to use his talents to transcend the limits of normal professional activities,” said his colleague Jane Wright, FAIA. While his commitment to mentorship is particularly commendable, in recommending him for this honor, the Honors Committee remarked, “Soup to nuts, Evans represents the entire package for this award.”

Clint Good, AIA
Clint Good, AIA

Clint Good, AIA, principal of Clint Good Architects, PC, was an early pioneer in environmental architecture. Borne out of a concern for the effects of the indoor-air quality on occupant health, he wrote the book Healthful Houses: How to Design and Build Your Own. In addition, he has lectured, appeared on radio and TV broadcasts, authored many articles, and has been featured in numerous national newspapers including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Good’s mantra is to ensure that all occupants live and work in buildings that are conducive to good health and well-being. “Good was one of the few voices in Virginia beating the drum for sustainability well before it was chic. He helped shape my career,” said one supporter. In addition to this distinctive specialty, Good has personified the ideals of the “Citizen Architect” by serving on many community boards including the County of Loudoun’s Board of Zoning Appeals, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Art and Architecture Review Board, and the APELSCIDLA Board. “His tremendous community service, commitment to sustainability, and wide range of professional activity is astounding,” exclaimed a member of the Honors Committee.